Of Wolves and Does
by Firefly567
Summary: When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us. Written for Korean Boron-Paper Stars for Fire Emblem MewMew's Secret Santa gift exchange.


The chilly breeze of night air wafted over Rath's skin as he drew his small knife down the arrow in his hands. He carefully, but quickly, took off a small shaving, bringing the arrow up to his line of sight in front of the crackling fire to examine his work. After a few seconds he nodded, placing it in the growing pile beside him.

"Ow!" He turned his head slightly to see his young daughter grasping a fresh cut on her thumb, blood quickly pouring down her hand.

He leaned over and took her hand, examining the injury for a few moments."How many times have I told you? Point the blade away from your hand," he scolded.

The cut wasn't deep enough to do any real harm, but it managed to slice a good chunk of her thumb. Blood quickly flowed out as he reached over to his nearby knapsack and brought out a small piece of cloth. He tied it securely on her wound, ignoring her sniffles as he took out a small pin and hooked the bandage together.

"Do you understand now?" he asked, looking into his daughter's eyes.

"Yes," she murmured to herself, using her free hand to wipe a tear away from her face as she whimpered quietly.

Rath made sure the bandage was secure before releasing her hand. "It's late, anyways. We should head back," he said, turning and beginning to collect the large pile of arrows he had crafted. After he bundled them together, he stood and walked over to his horse, Gad, who was tethered to a nearby tree next to Sue's young horse, Flo. He stroked Gad's mane a few times before placing the arrows inside a large pouch located on the saddle. He made sure it was secure, before turning around a few moments later and watching his daughter gather up her things.

Contrary to her initial reaction to her cut, she was tough and strong, befitting of the granddaughter of the Kutolah's Silver Wolf. She had a natural talent for bows and horses, which she no doubt inherited from him and her grandfather, and she also seemed to have the potential to wield a sword, something he assumed she inherited from her mother. Rath had no doubt she would make a fine warrior some day.

For now, though, it was hard to believe how quickly she was growing; in a few months she would be seeing her fourth full cycle of the mother earth. She held a deep love for Sacae, one that rivaled that of her mother... his only regret was that she was no longer there to witness it.

He watched her compile her things for several more moments before walking back over and helping her gather up the remaining few items. It wasn't much, just some scattered tools and the remnants of the dinner they had shared, along with the several bows and the multitude of arrows they had crafted that night.

A quick glance at the clear night sky was all he needed, as he knew the stars and the directions they correlated with well, since he had been forced to learn them when he left his tribe so many years ago. Thinking about those times brought forth painful memories, but he drew comfort from where he was now. The occasional howling of far off wolves, the chatter of insects and the clopping of his horse beneath him were things he was familiar with hearing. It had felt strange when he was away from all of this, on his journey with the lords Hector, Eliwood and lady Lyndis as well. Years had passed since then, and the only person he still had contact with was Guy, who had rejoined their clan alongside himself. Although Guy hadn't been the only one to return with him to the Kutolah, he was the only one remaining, now.

Rath shook his head quickly, realizing he had gotten lost in thought and wasn't paying attention. It was then he noticed the camp only a few hundred yards in the distance, the large fires clearly visible in the dark night.

-o-

Rath tethered Gad and Flo to the post outside his ger, and Sue helped him carry their things inside once he had finished. He opened the doors to find his father, the Silver Wolf Dayan himself, sitting on his bed. Rath said nothing about the intrusion, merely helping his daughter put the few things they had brought back with them away. Once they had finished, Sue made her way to her room in the back, and Rath's eyes locked with his father's.

"It has been almost a year since she died," Dayan said finally. Rath remained silent, breaking away from his father's gaze as he began to unhook his leather armor.

"I know," Rath said, untying his bandana and folding it neatly on the nearby table. "I am raising her the best I can," he stated flatly.

"And you are doing a fine job, but she barely remembers her mother. She is starting to reach the age where she will begin to understand the basics of what happened; you should tell her now."

Rath took a deep breath as he slowly undid his tunic, the scars that painted his body visible in the dim light in the ger.

"What is on your mind?" Dayan asked, knowing something was wrong with his son.

Glancing towards the back room, he asked quietly, "How can I be a good father when I could not even protect her mother?"

"It wasn't your fault," his father whispered.

"It was my duty to protect her and I failed," he replied quickly, the smallest hint of sadness in his voice.

"You could not protect her against something you could not fight. The disease that took her is incredibly rare... it was the will of mother earth that she return." Dayan stopped for a moment, sighing heavily as he stood up.

He placed a hand on Rath's shoulder and gave him a kind smile. "She may know her mother is gone, but hearing why and how from you will make it easier for her. I know you miss her, son... we all do, but do not look so regretfully on her death that you miss the beautiful opportunity you've been given." Dayan finished solemnly, exiting the ger a few moments later.

Rath turned his head to gaze into the back room once more. He stood in silence for what felt like an eternity as his thoughts consumed him. He knew what his father was trying to say, that his inability

to express an exuberant amount of emotion, especially after the death of his wife, would only hurt Sue.

_Maybe father is right..._

Rath turned to his dresser and grabbed a small bottle before walking towards the back room, stopping at the entrance to Sue's room and looking in. She was sitting on her bed, her white nightgown adorning her small frame. The pitiful amount of light, emanating from a small lantern in the corner, let him see Sue examining her wound. It was still bleeding slightly, but not as profusely as it had been when she first cut it. Rath glanced down at the diminutive brown bottle he had taken from his dresser. The liquid had saved his life more times than he cared to count; it's healing properties were nothing short of miraculous. Sue had learned her lesson and dealt with the consequences of her actions accordingly, and leaving her thumb unattended simply didn't feel right.

He slowly walked over, sitting down next to her on the bed, a long silence following. Eventually, he took her hand and uncorked the small brown bottle, pouring a fair amount of the contents over her thumb. They continued to sit in silence as the vulnerary did it's work; he was trying to think of how to start the conversation, but nothing seemed to feel right.

She broke the silence first, her voice barely a whisper. "Father?"

"What is it?"

"You look sad, is something wrong?"

A small grin formed on his face in response to her question. Her ability to read him rivaled that of her mother's, and the fact that she was asking him such a question after she was the one who had just been injured only reminded him of his wife's selfless nature.

"...I was just thinking about your mother, and how much you remind me of her," he answered a few moments later.

"Do you miss her?"

"Yes... and you?"

There was a long pause before she answered. "Yes."

"Your mother would be as proud of you as I am..." he trailed off. Slowly he began to tell Sue of her mother, the woman he met during his travels after his exile. He talked for what felt like hours, and although he knew she wouldn't be able to understand or truly comprehend most of what he was telling her, she would in time.

For now, he would raise her the best he could. He would do his best to make sure she became a fine woman of Sacae, one that he knew his wife would have cherished.

-o-

**A/N: **_Merry Christmas, Korean Boron-Paper Stars. ^^ _

_I really hope you liked this, I tried my best to create a good Rath one-shot, but he's not really my area of expertise, as it's been several years since I actually played the Elibe games, and on top of that I never really used Rath either. I did my best to research as much as I could, and in the end I thought some interactions with a young Sue would help bring out his character more. To that end, I'm not sure how I did, but I hope you found this enjoyable, and I hope I didn't fail too much. Oh, and before I forget, the summary is a quote from Alexander Graham Bell, lest anyone think I was clever enough to come up with that one myself, haha. ^^_

_Also, for anyone wondering about Coadjutant Duels, I have a chapter coming shortly. I apologize for the recent delays, work has been beyond ridiculous (although it's slowed down now that December is almost over) and I've been finding myself working on my other non-FE fic a lot more than I intended to. I also hope to start working on Crimson Warfare soon, but I guess we'll see how it goes. I also apologize for my general lack of activity on the site this past month. For the above mentioned reasons I haven't had much time to read or review, something I hope to start doing more of as things slow down._

_Anyways, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Years everyone, and if you have any feedback or concrit, please feel free to share it with me._

_And finally, a huge thank you to my beta, barefootbean. Your help, as always, is invaluable, and I truly appreciate everything you do. ^^_


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